Stoptober

There is a great deal of talk in the media at the moment about Stoptober. It is a fact that if you can stop smoking for 28 days then you are more likely to stop for good.

Here at my Leatherhead hypnotherapy clinic I have treated many smokers who have stopped for good. The first few days when someone stops smoking they are dealing with the addiction. Nicotine is very addictive but after 48 hours when all the traces of nicotine have left the body the addiction fades.

Why then is stopping smoking an ongoing struggle? This is because smoking is also an addiction of the mind, a habit in the same way a gambling addict is addicted to gambling, without putting a substance into their body. A smoker is addicted to the action of smoking.

A smoker has many key times when they smoke. This can range throughout the day from first thing in the morning to the last cigarette before bed. These times are frequently attached to other behaviours for example when having a cup of coffee or a break from work, after a meal and usually when relaxing especially with an alcoholic drink. Many people use smoking as both an incentive and a reward. For example they will reward themselves with a cigarette when a task has been completed or will use a cigarette as a motivator: ‘When I have had this cigarette I will ….’

Many people who come to me in Leatherhead have given up smoking for weeks, months or even years then they give in to the temptation of just one cigarette and find in a very short time they are back up to their old level of smoking. Once you have stopped smoking there is no going back. Just like an alcoholic who can never have just one drink, the smoker can never have just one cigarette.

Stoptober is a good incentive to take that first step. Hypnotherapy can help to make that habit easier to break permanently. Fill out my contact form, or give me a ring to find out how it can help you.